As the new year advances ,there are a variety of business activities that can help firms grow their companies. Following find information on a few.
FAME Assistant Corporation presents a two-day Small Business Growth Series Feb. 19 and 20 from 6-9 p.m. at its conference and expo center, 1968 W. Adams Blvd., in Los Angeles.
Admission is free, but reservations are required by Feb. 15. Call (213) 730-7700 Ext. 5026.
The seminar series will cover topics including the process lenders use to evaluate loan applications and how to package a loan to successfully meet expectations; and then looking at sales, marketing, product development, finance, human resources, risk management, operations and information management.
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The Southern California Minority Business Development Council hosts its 39th Minority Business Opportunity Day (MBOD) Feb. 21 at the Pacific Palms Conference Resort in Industry Hills.
The event will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the registration fee is $25 for each minority business enterprise. This includes a continental breakfast, a buffet lunch and participation in all MBOD activities including a business fair, and one-on-one appointments to meet with procurement professionals from major corporations.
To participate in these interviews, entrepreneurs must complete a registration form found on the council’s web site, www.scmbdc.org. Only businesses that have received confirmed interview schedules will be able to participate in these meetings.
The Business Opportunity fair gives minority suppliers the opportunity to meet face to face with representatives from more than 400 corporations. They will tell entrepreneurs how to get in the purchasing door.
The fair is open from 11:50 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information all the events, call (213) 689-6960.
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The Minority Business Development Agency will hosts its annual Minority Business Enterprise Development Week (MED Week) activities in Washington, D.C., and there are a series of event that happen locally leading up to the Sept. 3-5 national celebration.
The lead-up events include selecting entrepreneurs of the year in various categories including minority construction firm, manufacturer, supplier/distributor, service firm, exporter, retail firm, technology firm and business advocate of the year.
Applications for these awards are now available and can be submitted by the entrepreneur or others.
Once all nominations are in, the eight-state western region office will select the winners, and these individuals will go on to compete at the national level. The San Francisco-based regional office will honor their awardees during their annual MED Week event Aug. 31.
To obtain a packet, go to the MED Week web site at www.medweek.biz or call (415) 744-3001.
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The National Black Business Council Inc. (NBBC) has initiated a number of new programs. The first on Feb. 14 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. is a Network with Supplier Diversity representatives opportunity.
It will be held at the Townhouse, 6835 La Tijera Blvd. in Los Angeles, and will offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with procurement representatives and others from Fortune 1000 companies.
Information on funding sources for a business will also be presented by Pacific Coast Regional.
The event is free and open to the public, and people just need to show up. For information, call (310) 568-5000.
The other NBBC program is a Vendor Access Portal (VAP), which is a database that includes more than 56,000 currently certified minority business owners nation-wide. The portal can be accessed by corporations who will find the company name, type, location, phone number and web site address.
There is no cost to list on the portal but only members of NBBC can access the database.
